Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[river1974]

Dear teachers:

My company is deliberately estimating whether to establish a subsidiary in Los Angeles.

Is it correct? Thanks.

[bud]

It's grammatical, River, but "deliberately estimating" may not be what you really want.

deliberately - This would describe a slow, careful process, but it seems a bit strange in this context. I'd suggest something similar: cautiously or carefully, for example. Either seems more likely for a business activity.

estimating - This usually means calculating probable costs. Exploring the setting up a subsidiary certainly would involve estimating costs. But it would invlove many other evaluations, too: specific location, availability of employess , probable customer base, availability of raw materials (for a factory), etc. I think something like assessing or evaluating is probably what you really want to say.

Also, "seriously assessing" is a possibility if your company is currently devoting a lot of resources to exploring this opportunity.

[Bob S.]